Wounds not Healed by Time
by Christmas-Cookies
Summary: It had been over two years since that day. With the strawhat crew reunited, everything is back to normal. Or so it seems...
1. Prologue

Idk what I'm doing here, but here's a prologue to a new story!

* * *

It had been over two years since that day.

Luffy and the other strawhats had been training intensely for the day that they would all meet up again. That meeting had already come and passed, and the strawhats were united once again. Luffy was immensely stronger than before, and had demonstrated his skills at Fish-Man Island in the battle against Hordy. Each of the strawhats had upgraded as well, utilizing new skills and attacks. Overall, the entire Strawhat crew is stronger than ever, and ready to face the New World.

Now the strawhats are setting out into the open water, going wherever Nami's navigational skills will take them.

Everything is back to normal, or so it seems.


	2. Chapter 1

Yeah... here's more.

* * *

"And there was so much food! All the good kind of fattening food, and I began to eat it all!" Usopp yelled and made wild hand gestures as he described his story from the Boin Archipelago.

"Sugoi Usopp!" Chopper drooled slightly, thinking of all the food. "How did you not get fat?" he asked.

"Um! Well, I... uh..." Usopp began sweating lightly. "W-what's for lunch Sanji?!" He turned his head and called loudly for the cook.

"Shut your mouth! It'll be ready when it's ready." Sanji replied rudely from inside the kitchen.

"Anyways," Usopp turned back to his group that he was telling the story to. Chopper was looking at him intently, while Luffy laid motionless on the grass. "Luffy, are you okay?" Usopp asked worriedly. Usually Luffy would be really into his story and interrupting him several times. But while Usopp was talking, Luffy had just been laying there, almost indifferent to the whole conversation.

"I'm fine," came the automatic answer. Luffy didn't even turn his head to speak.

Usopp exchanged a nervous glance with Chopper. Neither knew what was wrong with Luffy.


	3. Chapter 2

Wow, I never thought that anyone would even read this. As thanks, here's a longer chapter!

* * *

The sun was just setting when Sanji called everyone for dinner. Usopp and Chopper ran into the dining room, with a slower moving Luffy trailing behind. Nami didn't fail to notice this.

"Luffy, are you alright?" She asked from her place at the table. Her light brown eyes shone with concern.

"I'm fine," Luffy repeated, like this afternoon. "Just tired."

Nami's brows furrowed. "If you say so."

The rest of the strawhats eventually entered the dining room, and the noisy dinner commenced. Brook broke out his violin and began to play a cheery tune, with Franky and Chopper dancing to the music. Usually Luffy would have joined in, but he just sat there, poking at his food.

Robin gave him a worried glance, but did not comment on the situation. Sanji, on the other hand, was a different story. "Oi! Stop picking at your food and eat it!" He yelled.

Although his words were harsh, he knew that there was something bothering the captain. Luffy would always be the first in the dining room, scarfing down his food before anyone else had gotten there. But today was different.

Brook stopped playing his violin, and everything stilled. Usopp and Chopper sat back down and stared at Luffy worriedly. Zoro cracked his eye open from where he had layed back against his chair, feet propped up on the table.

Luffy just sat there, poking his meat with a fork. Noticing everyone else's eyes on him, he glanced up from his seat. HIs entire crew were giving him concerned looks. "What?" He asked, a little defensively.

"You're just... not acting like yourself. That's all," Nami replied.

"Like I said, I'm tired." With that, Luffy stood up, pushed his chair in, and left the dining room.

The rest of the strawhats sat there, stunned by the odd behavior of their captain.

"What do you think is wrong with Luffy-san?" Brook asked.

"I'm not sure. He seemed fine at Fish-Man Island." Franky commented.

"He's probably just tired," Zoro yawned.

"I'm not so sure. Luffy has been acting weird all afternoon." Usopp added. "He didn't laugh at any of my jokes!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Let's just hope that he'll be fine tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the favs/follows! It really inspires me to keep writing.

* * *

Luffy trudged back into the back room where all the guys slept. He hadn't felt like eating earlier, he really was just tired. He slunk into his hammock and pulled the blankets up over him.

He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, yet sleep would not come. Hours had passed, and the rest of the male strawhats came into the sleeping room, minus Franky who out on watch. Luffy pretended to be asleep while they settled themselves in their beds. Soon their breathing evened out, and Luffy could tell that they were asleep. But Luffy still lay, wide awake in his hammock.

_"I promise you, I'll never die!"_

The words that his older brother once spoke rang in his mind.

Luffy shook his head slightly. It had been two whole years. That should have been enough time for the wounds to heal. But for some reason, it wasn't, and he was still hurt by the war and the death of his brother. Luffy just couldn't forget the events that happened at Marineford. He couldn't forget the massive war against the Whitebeard pirates and the marines. He couldn't forget how Admiral Akainu killed his brother...

Luffy took a shaky breath. His breathing was ragged, coming in short pants.

This happened whenever he thought about the war.

He mentally berated himself for being so weak. _I'm going to be the King of Pirates,_ he reminded himself. The Pirate King wouldn't be weak enough to let the death of their brother wear them down. No, the Pirate King would stay strong and never reveal his weak side.

But Luffy wasn't the Pirate King yet.

His crew had already realized that something was wrong with him. Why was he letting his mask slip now, of all times? Not once during his training time with Rayleigh had the older man realized that Luffy was still haunted by the memories of his past. He was determined to be strong for his nakama, so why was he letting them down by making them worried about him?

Luffy rolled over in his hammock, trying to clear his mind and get some sleep. But the endless thoughts would not cease.

He knew that his nakama were there for him, but he didn't want them to needlessly worry about him. He was okay, he was _fine_. He didn't want anyone to be concerned about him. Sighing deeply, Luffy knew that no sleep would come this night. But that's okay, it's not like this hasn't happened before.

Light filtered in through the rounded windows, and Luffy could tell that it was morning now. Yawning, he decided that now was a good a time as any to get up and start the day.

He crawled out of the hammock, letting his bare feet hit the icy wooden floor. Rubbing his arms, Luffy stepped out into the chilly morning breeze. The Thousand Sunny was quiet, as the majority of the crew was asleep. The only sound that broke the silence were the waves that gently crashed against the ship.

Luffy stepped out into the grass lawn, and was once again thankful for Franky's excellent shipbuilding to have added such detail. The bright green grass was soft underneath his feet, so Luffy laid down on it. The clouds overhead were light and puffy, and very calming. Relaxing with a sigh, Luffy finally felt a light sleep take him.


	5. Chapter 4

Yells, shouts, and the cling of metal upon metal were the only audible sounds. The overpowering smell of blood permeated the air, making Luffy want to gag. But he was so close, _so close_ to saving his brother.

He could see him, chained to the top of a podium. Luffy was running towards him, while the battle raged around him. A Whitebeard pirate screamed as he was struck down by a marine, but Luffy ignored it. He couldn't let anything distract him from saving Ace.

Then he could see the glint of the swords, meant to chop Ace's head off. They couldn't actually kill his brother, could they?

The swords were brought down, and it was moving as if in slow motion. Luffy just knew that he had to stop them.

"STOP IT!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs. And for a brief moment, everything was quite. The guards that were about to execute Ace fell to the ground, unconscious.

He wondered what had just happened, but couldn't dwell on it. Now was his chance. His one chance to save Ace.

Everything began happening so quickly after that. Soon Ace was freed, and they were running to escape the madness and get to safety. Then Admiral Akainu began taunting Ace by smearing Whitebeard's name. Ace couldn't let the bastard keep saying these things about his father, so he stood up to the admiral. Luffy watched on from the sidelines, worry gnawing his stomach.

He then dropped the vivre card, but when he tried to get it, his legs gave out. He had reached his limit. Everything that he had done, from Impel Down to Marineford, came crashing down on his shoulders.

Akainu was coming at him, Ace moved to defend him...

And then it happened.

. . .

"NO! Stop it!" Luffy yelled.

"Woah, Luffy-bro! Calm down!"

Luffy opened his eyes, and sunlight blinded him. When his vision returned to normal, he was surprised to find himself on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Franky was kneeling at his side, a worried expression on his face.

"Wh... what?" He asked, his voice scratchy from a sore throat. Glancing around, he noticed that he and Franky were the only ones on the deck at the moment.

Franky continued staring at him in concern.

"Oh..." Luffy said, blinking to realization. _It was just a dream._

"Are you okay, bro?" Franky asked, each word coated in worry. He knew that something had been bothering his captain, and he was determined to find out what.

"...Yeah. I'm good." Luffy murmured, still trying to shake off his dream. Only it wasn't just a dream.

It had actually happened.


	6. Chapter 5

Thanks so much for all the reviews/favs/follows! Here's a longer chapter as thanks. ;)

* * *

For once, things were quiet on the Thousand Sunny.

The rest of the crew had been woken up by screaming, but by the time they got out on the deck, all they saw were Luffy and Franky. Franky had been giving their captain worried glances, so they could only assume that the earlier yelling had come from him.

No one commented on the situation, so the nine strawhats stood there in awkward silence.

Finally, Sanji decided to break the tension. "I'll go get started on breakfast. Who's hungry?"

"I am," Nami said, shoulders relaxing.

"Me too," Robin added.

"Coming right up!" Sanji swooned, and twirled off to the kitchen.

The rest of the crew eased up, and began going about their daily activities. Franky went to the back room to get some sleep, but not without shooting Luffy a concerned look. Zoro noticed this, but trusted that his captain would tell them if something was bothering him.

Luffy, forcing a smile, walked over to Chopper and Usopp, and the three began to play tag. Brook pulled out his violin and played a happy tune, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere. His music worked, for soon Luffy's smile became real, and he was focused on the game. He ignored his earlier dream and put it behind him, trying to be strong for his crew.

Nami and Robin changed into their swimsuits to tan in the morning sun, while keeping an eye on Luffy.

"What do you think is wrong with our captain?" Robin asked seriously, adjusting her sunglasses.

Nami contemplated her answer for a moment. Luffy was never one to dwell on past events, so she had no idea what was bothering him.

"Could it be something from his past?" Robin speculated out loud.

Shaking her head, Nami gave a little sigh. "I don't think so. But Luffy's never really mentioned his past before, so I wouldn't know."

Now it was Robin's turn to sigh. "Then perhaps the reason he doesn't speak of it is because it's too painful." _That's what it was like for me._

"Maybe..." Nami frowned. Robin was much like Luffy in that aspect. She hadn't spoken of her past to them before, just like Luffy. Still, she trusted her captain no matter what.

In the kitchen, Sanji was scrambling eggs and thinking -for once- not of beautiful women, but of his captain. Luffy had been acting strange lately, and he had no idea why. He wasn't really one to talk about his problems, so the crew was left in the dark on his unusual behavior.

"Tsk, stupid Luffy for making us worry," he grumbled.

They were in the New World, where anything could happen at anytime. They had to be ready for anything, and with Luffy acting like this, Sanji wasn't completely sure that Luffy could handle it. Yes, he trusted his captain, and Luffy had been fine in the battle against Hody, but Luffy was acting even worse now.

Sighing, Sanji finished serving the food and called out to the crew, "Breakfast!"

He was glad to see Luffy run straight in. "What's for breakfast, Sanji?"

Sanji grinned. "Eggs and sausage."

"Hurry up, I'm hungry!" Luffy complained loudly.

The rest of the crew filed in, all wearing small smiles. Sanji wasn't the only one glad to see his captain acting normal again.

"Shut up, I'm serving the beautiful ladies first!" Sanji scolded with mock irritation. Nami caught on to this, and smirked at their cook.

It was good for the strawhats to be themselves again. Normality was something they needed.

Breakfast passed by as it usually did, Luffy laughing loudly and stealing his crewmates' food. And for once, they let him. They were relieved to see that Luffy was still their strong captain that they had grown to love. Once the food was gone, the crew thanked Sanji for the meal and left to do their own stuff. Sanji grabbed some plates and brought them to the kitchen to wash, when he noticed that Luffy was still sitting in his seat.

Luffy let out a heavy sigh, his expression growing sad. He didn't seem to notice that Sanji was still in the room.

"You alright?" Sanji asked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

Luffy looked up sharply, and seemed surprised to see Sanji there.

_So he didn't even realize that I was here..._ "Are you alright?" Sanji repeated his earlier question.

"Oh! Um, I'm fine! Just fine!" Luffy stood up abruptly, forcing a smile, and quickly exited the room.

Sanji was left with a pile of dirty dishes, wondering what the hell his captain was hiding.


	7. Chapter 6

Luffy was frustrated with himself.

When he thought that he was alone in the dining room, he let his mask slip. And in that brief moment, Sanji had seen him. Why hadn't he checked to make sure the room was clear first? It should have been obvious that Sanji would stay behind to wash the dishes... _Ugh! Why am I so stupid?!_

"Are you okay?" Usopp asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, fine."

"Alright! Then let's go fishing!"

_Fishing would definitely help improve my mood..._ "Yosh! Let's go!"

Back in the kitchen, Sanji was beginning to piece things together. After everything that had happened back in the Sabaody Archipelago, Impel Down, and Marineford, all the strawhats had just expected Luffy to bounce back, like he usually did. They had been worried about him at first, what with Ace's death and everything, but when they met again after those two years, Luffy had been his usual smiling self. They all thought he was okay after that.

But maybe all of those events had taken more of a toll on him than they had originally thought. Luffy was never one to share his past, or even his pain. So maybe all those weights added up on his shoulders, and now he just can't take it anymore.

Sanji finished putting the last dish away with a sigh. He couldn't just go up to Luffy and ask him if Ace's death was still bothering him. No, he definitely couldn't do that.

He heard noise and looked up to see Nami and Robin entering the room. Immediately his eyes turned to hearts as he clasped his hands dramatically. "What can I get for you my beautiful swans~?"

Nami just gave him an annoyed stare. Robin didn't even chuckle. Whatever they wanted, it was serious.

Eyes turning back to normal, Sanji pulled out another cigarette and lit it. "Did you come to talk about Luffy?"

Nami exchanged a quick glance with Robin. "Yeah."

"I'm assuming that you have given it some thought, cook-san." Robin stated, blinking slowly.

Sanji nodded.

"And what is your conclusion?"

Blowing out a cloud of smoke, Sanji exhaled leisurely. "I think that he's actually pretty messed up about the war and Ace's death."

"That's exactly what we were thinking." Nami blinked, almost surprised that Sanji had come to the exact same conclusion that they had.

The three stood there in silence for a moment, the only noise being their steady breathing. Finally, Nami spoke again. "Should we talk to him?"

"We should, I mean, he is our captain after all." Sanji answered while snubbing out his cigarette in a glass dish. He then pulled out a new one and lit it.

"Yes, but the question is how to approach him. It must be a very delicate subject for him to be acting this way," Robin rested her chin on her palm in thought.

"Maybe we could tell him stories of our past, and get him to open up to us?" Nami asked.

"An excellent idea, Nami-swan," Sanji said, without the usual exclamation. This topic was much too serious for that.

Robin nodded. "That's a great idea. We can start tonight, at dinner."

While this was going on, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were fishing out on deck. The fish weren't biting, so the three sat there, bored.

"Come on, Luffy. Let's go do something else." Chopper sighed, reeling in his empty line.

Luffy was laying on the ship's railing, hat covering his face. He was more tired than anything else right now, so he didn't want to play with Chopper and Usopp. "I think I'm going to go take a nap," he yawned.

Chopper glanced at Usopp. Luffy taking a nap in the middle of the day? Weird. But then again, Luffy was weird, and had done stranger stuff before.

"Okay, come play with us later then," Usopp said as he and their doctor walked away.

Finally alone, Luffy could relax. He liked Usopp and Chopper, but being in their company all day long could get tiring.

The ship's railing wasn't that comfortable to lay on, so he decided to go and see what his first mate was doing. Figuring that he would be in the crow's nest, Luffy climbed the ladder. Inside, Zoro was lifting weights.

"What do you want, Luffy?" Zoro asked, a little irritated at being interrupted training.

"Nothing," Luffy said.

Zoro raised his eyebrow. Luffy wasn't really acting like himself. _I hope he doesn't want to talk or something,_ Zoro thought, since he knew he wouldn't be good at communicating his feelings with anyone.

Luffy went over to the bench by the circular window, and laid down on it. Curling up with his back to the swordsman, Luffy relaxed in the heat provided by the sun. Zoro continued watching him, confused on his captain's behavior.

Shrugging, Zoro continued to lift his weights, while Luffy fell into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
